are "stop leak" products advisable?

[SilverSaloon]

hi

i have a minor(-ish) leak from (i think) my front crankshaft seal on my E300D.

it means i have to put in maybe half a litre of oil every week to keep it topped up to the max level.

i have put off replacing the seal due to many concerns - hard to remove/refit crankshaft bolt, got to remove radiator and aircon units out the way etc and i have just lived with topping it up.

i was thinking about giving a product such as this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...Id_165750#dtab

a try to see if it either cures it or makes it better. as i'm restoring my SL i really dont have time to sort this properly myself.... and wouldnt like to pay labour on a job i can do myself in time..... i know i should really replace the seal but i'm looking for something that could stop the leak atleast until i get time to do the job properly

so, before i head to hellfrauds on my way home tonight has anyone got any major concerns of tipping this in my engine?

car is a 1994 E300D (non turbo diesel) with 200k on the clock.

cheers

derek

 

[mercmadjim]

Upto half price camping??

 

[Miffy]

I think he means this

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_154689_langId_-1_categoryId_165750

 

[turbopete]

i cant comment on the halfords offerings. however, when i was working in a garage, i was given a bottle of Forte's leak stopper. it claimed to soften seals so that they began to "seal" again. i ran it in either an escort or a sierra, cant remember which. its best put in after an oil change, if i remember correctly. i ran the car for a good 20k miles and the rear crank oil seal NEVER dripped for the rest of the time i had the car, or all the time the next owner had it! i would recommend it to anyone, assuming you can get hold of it as its mostly sold to trade only, but some garages etc do have it on the shelf and available for the public to buy! cant tell you how much it is though. it was a freebie i managed to get from the rep at the time!

 

[simon_wall69]

It'll be cheaper than the regular half litres of oil. Let us know if it works - I always find myself a little bit cynical about these things but I have successfully used similar products for stopping steering leaks and radiator leaks.

 

[teddycatkin]

Derek The product you need is "Forte seal conditioner"-yes it is very good --unless the seal is damaged of course!--(you need to get somebody in the trade to order you a tube)--hope this helps ?Teddy.

 

[turbopete]

thats the one i meant Teddy! i knew it had a name. couldnt remember it though!

 

[jamesmc]

Available (in the EU) here:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Mottec-Solutions

Not sure how competitive that is though.

 

[roofless]

i have it in mine & it seems to work but a new front crank seal was £9 from euro parts so i just need to get the time to fit it

 

[SilverSaloon]

i have it in mine & it seems to work but a new front crank seal was £9 from euro parts so i just need to get the time to fit it

how do you apply it? there is no way i can access where the leak is coming from and if i could i'd replace the seal which i already have. roofless; by the way i got the genuine Merc seal from a dealer for just £5 (not fitted it yet though!)

i think i will give the wyinns one a go - - this claims to revitalise the seals etc....

i'm due an oil change soon anyway so if it doesnt make a difference i guess most will get flushed out then anyway.

EDIT - just looked on ebay for it and found it. i will try the forte stuff if i have no luck with the Wynnes stuff

 

[Ian B Walker]

Available (in the EU) here:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Mottec-Solutions

Not sure how competitive that is though.

I stock these products and the ebay prices are just about right.

 

[SilverSaloon]

I stock these products and the ebay prices are just about right.

any experience in knowing whether its going to fix a leaky crankshaft oil seal or not? I never got round to fixing it Ian.

i put the Wynns stuff in. apparently it takes up to 200 miles before u can see whether its worked or not.

 

[television]

I look forward to the outcome, I cant see it working on a crank shaft seal but who knows

 

[Baldrick123]

Out of interest I also have a Porsche 944 S2 which weeps tranmission fluid from a join at the back of the gearbox. The joint is sealed with sealant rather than a gasket. Is there a product that I could use to cure this problem? as the proper fix means taking the gearbox out.

Feel free to tell me to visit a Porsche forum to get the answer I do have two c classes, so I'm from the right side of Germany also!

Andy

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

in my experience anything which will refresh an oil seal must be a solvent to the material, similar to belt lube, which just etches into your fan belt and makes the surface of the belt stickier for improved grip, lasts about 6 months, solvents are a kin to combustion acids which reduce the life of lubrication in oil, bit less on fully synth oil, so to me there is a trade off, like everything else, you are reducing oil consumption on a worn age hardened oil seal by adding a solvent but compromising the overall quality of lubrication for the longevity of the engine, not for me, if the seal is leaking you have to change it. we all like quick fixes but not for the people who want to keep their car knowing it is a piece of engineering worth looking after. herbiemercman.

 

[turbopete]

the car i used it (forte seal conditioner) on (escort turbodiesel) also had a leaky crank seal. i put it in the oil when i changed it, ran the car for about 18months, sold it to a guy i knew who ran it for another 2 years. never leaked a drop. engine went coz he didnt change the cam belt though!

 

[SilverSaloon]

after 800 miles - result:

still leaks

oh well, it was worth a try.

maybe i will try the forte stuff when i change the oil. not sure yet though

 

[haroonz7]

Lucas Oil

Has anyone tried the lucas stop leak. I hear this is supposed to be excellent.

 

[turbopete]

not tried it but i would guess its not as easy to come by as it used to be since euro car parts bought lucas and closed down the branches!

 

[pomm001]

in my experience anything which will refresh an oil seal must be a solvent to the material, similar to belt lube, which just etches into your fan belt and makes the surface of the belt stickier for improved grip, lasts about 6 months, solvents are a kin to combustion acids which reduce the life of lubrication in oil, bit less on fully synth oil, so to me there is a trade off, like everything else, you are reducing oil consumption on a worn age hardened oil seal by adding a solvent but compromising the overall quality of lubrication for the longevity of the engine, not for me, if the seal is leaking you have to change it. we all like quick fixes but not for the people who want to keep their car knowing it is a piece of engineering worth looking after. herbiemercman.

I agree
Most modern oil seals are made from elastomers, i.e. rubbers blended together to give well wear properties, and latter seal will be from PTFE
So not sure how a tin of snake oil can work on all of the possible materials, for instance PTFE is chemically inert, as such nothing effects if, also the principal of how it creates it seal to the shaft is different from a 'rubber' seal
It could work with some of the old silicone seals.
What I don’t understand is that if it swells the rubber to make it a tighter fit, this will create more friction and wear out quicker?
No doubt their makers claim looks convincing, I am very nervous about magic in cans